The Raiders could soon be in the market for a new head coach and many believe their first choice to replace Antonio Pierce (if he is fired) would be Mike Vrabel.
Vrabel has been linked to the Raiders since November and the obvious connection between Vrabel and the Raiders is minority owner Tom Brady.
Along with Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Vrabel is going to be one of the most popular coaching candidates on the market. There could be as many as eight HC openings in the NFL this year and each of those teams are expected to have interest in Vrabel.
But according to Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter, there is reason to believe the Raiders are at the top of Vrabel’s list of preferred teams.
“I can tell you that I 100 percent believe if the Raiders offer him the job, Vrabel will take it,” Carpenter said on the Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast. “I believe that and I have reason to believe that.”
Piecing together Carpenter’s comments from the show it sounds like he expects Vrabel to be the Raiders’ head coach next year.
“At this point, I’m going to tell you if I had to bet one way or another, I think that they will probably make a change [at head coach],” Carpenter said. “That’s not me saying they should. I’m just going off some things.”
Aside from the losing, Pierce has another key detail working against him in his efforts to keep his job. Even if he is retained after the season, Pierce is probably going to have to find new coordinators.
The Raiders paid dearly for hiring the wrong offensive coordinator a year ago, and owner Mark Davis might not have a lot of confidence in Pierce’s ability to hire better coordinators this year.
As for defensive coordinator job, it’s hard to imagine Pierce will be able to find anyone more effective in that role than Patrick Graham.
According to multiple reports, Graham turned down a contract extension after the 2023 season and he seems poised to find a new team in 2025, regardless of what happens with the Raiders in the next few weeks.
